Almost 900,000 refugees arrived in Germany last year, reveals minister

Germany’s Interior Minister revealed on Friday that 890,000 asylum seekers entered his country in 2015, broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) has reported. Thomas de Maiziere told journalists in Berlin that the German government is taking the necessary measures for the refugees, and pointed out that it had adopted a more transparent counting system.

He denied the previous number announced by the German authorities. The initial figure of 1.1 million refugees had been inflated, he said, by the fact that asylum seekers often registered in multiple places. Many, added de Maiziere, have also moved on to other European countries or returned to their countries of origin. “Nevertheless, the number is very high.”

Adding that, on the whole, Germany had coped well with the challenges of the refugee crisis, the minister said, “We are all equally agreed, though, that we cannot allow a repeat of the situation seen last autumn.”

Although some international measures have been taken to decrease the number of refugees heading to Germany, since the start of 2016 around 210,000 have arrived in the country.